


The peculiar hot tub behind the dorm

by shinee_fiction



Category: SHINee
Genre: Choi Minho & Kim Kibum | Key are Best Friends, Gen, Other, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:27:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29266491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinee_fiction/pseuds/shinee_fiction
Summary: It is Minho's birthday day. He has a knee injury and Kibum sees an opportunity to ease his pain, however that move makes Minho curious about Kibum's motives.
Relationships: Choi Minho/Kim Kibum | Key
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	The peculiar hot tub behind the dorm

Minho had once asked Kibum why he didn't use the hot tub behind the dorm. It was right there for everyone, but it was hardly ever empty. The fact that he refused to share was left as an implication rather than directly stated, but Minho suspected that was because sharing simply never occurred to him.

Given that conversation, he was surprised to arrive at the dorm and find Kibum deep in the steaming water. Granted, the tub was empty of anyone else, though Minho wasn't sure whether that was by chance or if Kibum had run them off.

“I thought you didn't like the hot tub.”

“I was alone so I thought to give it another chance,” Kibum said, everything about his attitude suggesting even the hot tub itself, should be honored.

“I'll just wait inside.” It might be a little dull alone, but it would be unreasonable to expect him to drop everything as soon as Minho arrived. Unlike Kibum, he was rarely unreasonable.

“I had always heard that hot water could be beneficial for injuries such as yours. Perhaps you'd care to join me instead?”

Minho had already turned to go back inside, but he paused to consider the unexpected invitation. His first instinct was to refuse. But that was silly, wasn't it? No one here would be shocked if he were to accept. On the contrary, they might have been more surprised he hadn't made use of the hot tub already. And Kibum was right. Since he'd been injured, the damp air here always made his bones ache. It wasn't especially bad today, at least not any worse than usual, but the hot tub would still help ease it a little.

“Let me just see about a towel.”

Actually getting into the tub required more assistance than Minho would have liked, but once he was in and past the initial shock of the heat, it felt wonderful. He leaned back against the side of the tub and stretched out his legs, enjoying the luxury of movement that was almost completely free of pain. Strange to think how recently he'd taken it for granted.

When he looked up, he saw Kibum watching him curiously. “Does it hurt?”

“Yes. It always hurts at least a little.” Minho saw little point in lying about something so obvious.

“Doesn't that bother you?” 

Minho was trying not to let it get to him, but he was still grateful that the heat of the water would account for any pinkness in his cheeks. 

There was something about the intensity of Kibum's stares combined with the near-nudity customary for the hot tub that made him uncomfortable. “And yes, of course it does, but there's nothing more that can be done.” Minho let out a small laugh.

Kibum seemed honestly puzzled by something that to him seemed so simple. 

“It was perhaps something you had to have the right personality to appreciate.” If Kibum didn't understand it, Minho doubted he could ever explain. He'd learned that the hard way.

But even after what had happened at the games, he still meant every word he'd said. He didn't feel weak. He'd been reckless and he was paying the price for that, that was all.

“Perhaps. But is it strong enough for what is to come?”

“It'll have to be.” Minho's tone was deliberately discouraging. He understood the value of looking toward the future perfectly well – it was one of the earliest lessons a trainee had to learn - but he thought Kibum spent far too much time dwelling on it since they still had their lives to live in the meantime.

Kibum had fallen silent, at least temporarily out of questions, so Minho asked one of his own. “Why did you really decide to use the hot tub today?” As he attempted to change the subject, it wasn't particularly subtle, but it would serve the purpose well enough.

“I told you. No one was here, so I wanted to give it another try.”

It was possible that Kibum was telling the truth, but something in his tone of voice made Minho suspect that at the very least, it wasn't the whole truth. “I think there's something more to it than that.”

“You think that about everything I say.”

“And I'm usually right.”

“If you're so certain I have an ulterior motive, you'll have to figure it out yourself. What fun would it be if I just told you?”

Minho shook his head, though he couldn't quite keep from smiling. He didn't share Kibum's fondness for guessing games, but at some point, they had become so familiar as to seem almost charming. “You can never be straightforward about anything.”

Kibum smirked at him as though he'd just been given a tremendous compliment. “I thought that was what you liked about me.”

**Author's Note:**

> To be continued...


End file.
